


Lady running down to the riptide( I want to be your left hand man)

by Dionysus_is_my_bae



Series: Summer nights 2020 [1]
Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Surfers, F/F, Fluff, I'm Bad At Summaries, Light Angst, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25003717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dionysus_is_my_bae/pseuds/Dionysus_is_my_bae
Summary: It's not that Jade is scared of the water, she just really really hates it. But when she meets a girl who practically lives in the oceans waves, how will her perception change?
Relationships: Tori Vega/Jade West
Series: Summer nights 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810180
Comments: 15
Kudos: 106





	1. I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations

Jade hates the beach. No, scratch that, she loathes the beach. The sand was annoying and would get everywhere. You never know what’s lurking in the water (For example: fucking dolphins.) The people were all either trying to get with someone or they were literal screaming children. No matter what time of day you went it was always crowded because it’s Cali-fucking-fornia. And the cherry on top, the sun is a deadly laser and Jade is as pale as drywall but if she’s in the sun for too long she boils like a damn lobster.

So, justifiably, Jade hates the beach.

Yet somehow she found herself laying on a towel under a beach umbrella watching Cat to make sure she doesn’t end up drowning somehow. While she wasn’t happy with the situation, she couldn’t exactly blame the bubbly redhead. Ever since her breakup with Beck, she’s been having a hard time doing much of anything other than getting angry and locking herself in her room writing for hours on end. She really should be thankful for the outing, but she just can’t help but be miffed at Cat for bringing her here of all places. 

Further adding to her agitation, it seems the universe couldn’t leave her well enough alone, because as soon as she laid back and actually started to relax in this sandy landscape a voice to her side called out: “Hey there, gorgeous.”

Jade immediately snapped her head to the side to glare at the guy whose ego was clearly just as huge as his roided out biceps. He was clearly a gym rat, and a trashy one at that considering his stupid tribal tatoos and plug earrings. Jade glared at him harder, but he either didn’t notice or was just too confident to care because he just smiled smugly and stood in front of her flexing every muscle possible.

“What are you doing here all alone, beautiful? Shouldn't you be in the pool cooling off? Because you are so hot you’re practically burning up.” He said in a voice that was far too smooth for her liking. If this dumbass thinks he can get her with some stupid pick-up line he probably got on the internet, he’s got another thing coming.

“I don’t know, shouldn’t you be looking for a girl who gives a damn? Because if you’re seriously talking to me you clearly haven’t found a single one.” She snapped back, adjusting her sunglasses over her eyes and laying back down hoping that the guy would just take the hint and leave already.

However, like all muscle heads, this man is as dense as a rock since the next thing he did was sit beside her and lean in, “C’mon baby, don’t be like that. I just want to get to know ya and have some fun at the beach.” He said in the same sickeningly sweet voice.

Jade leaded in too, watching as a smug looked made its way onto his face, and whispered into his ear, “If you ever call me baby again I will rip off your nipples and shove them up your nose so far you’ll lose your last remaining brain cells, you walking talking mountain of meat.” 

She watched in satisfaction as a look of pure dread washed over the man, but just as a little treat to herself, she cupped the man's way-too-strong-to-be-natural jaw and looked him in his brown eyes with her own steely blue-green ones. “Now, you’re going to leave me and every other girl on this beach alone, or I will hunt you down, chop your dick off and then feed it to you. Do you understand?” The man’s face turned pale as she described what she would do to him, but nevertheless he nodded furiously so Jade let him go with a pat on the head and a “Good boy.”

Jade laid back down and relaxed a couple more minutes before getting bored and deciding she needed to go get her best friend from the water so she could go get some food before she actually did kill someone today. Cat didn’t really mind her snippy attitude and instead opted to fill their walk with idle chatter about the fishes she saw in the water and the kids she got to play volleyball with. It made Jade crack a smile, but only a little one. They searched around for somewhere to eat before coming across a small shack on the coast with the words “Mama Peet’s surf n’ turf” on the side. At this point Jade was far too hungry to care where the food came from, so they entered the shack and sat down on the barstools. 

It was a nice little place. It had a cool 50s vibe and a homely aura surrounding it. The food was by far the best part, though. Jade was almost tempted to get another plate but she wasn’t about to pig out on that much steak in public, so she resigned herself to one plate. The tiny little shack had done wonders for her mood. It was like a little gift from the heavens to help soothe her unbridled rage. That peaceful mindset was immediately shattered when she walked outside of the shack and got a face full of something she couldn’t really identify. All she knew is that it was really really hard, and about to be really really dead. 

After the stars had left her vision and she could actually fix her gaze on what hit her, she directed her meanest, most intense glare at it. 

The only problem was she was not expecting a stunning brunette to be the reason for her throbbing nose. She was tall, a couple inches taller than Jade, with long wavy brown hair, and big brown eyes that shone with remorse. Immediately the other girl dropped her surfboard (“Ah so that’s what hit me” Jade realized) and ran over to Jade. 

“Oh god, I’m so sorry. Are you alright? Did I break your nose?” She rambled worriedly, taking Jade’s face into her hands and checking for any injuries. Usually Jade hates being touched by anyone, especially strangers, but for some reason it felt good being fussed over by this girl. Almost too good. So Jade did what she normally does, she put up a wall.

“Don’t touch me!” She yelled, putting as much distance between her and the other girl. Jade hoped that if she was bitchy enough, the woman would be far too shocked to notice the faint blush that covered her cheeks. 

“I- fuck I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to touch you. Well, I did, but that’s just because I hit you. Which I didn’t mean to do either! I just- I was gonna put my board out front and the then I turned and I- fuck I really am sorry about that, Miss, is there anything I can do to make up for it?” The woman rambled endlessly. Jade had to admit, it was kind of endearing, but it also reminded her of the situation at hand. The adorably clumsy woman just smacked her in the face with a fucking surfboared. So on top of the headache that giant man baby caused earlier, she had to deal with a throbbing nose and a very concerned woman. Great.

“It’s fine. This is just what I get for coming to the fucking beach. This place already fucking sucks so might as well add this to the reasons I definitely don’t want to come back.” Jade growled out. She started walking away when she felt a lithe hand grab onto her wrist. The woman looked almost as surprised at her own actions as Jade felt. That didn’t stop her from glaring at the woman, who in turn panicked and dropped her hand quickly.

“Right I forgot, no touching.” The woman muttered to herself. 

“What do you want? Can’t you see I’m in excruciating amounts of pain right now.” It was bullshit, the throbbing in her nose had dulled significantly since the initial impact, but she still felt like giving the girl hell for doing it to her in the first place.

The tan beauty grimaced before speaking again, “Listen, I don’t want to be the reason you never come to the beach again, and I seriously want to make it up to you so how about I show you all the reasons you should definitely come back to the beach.”

“What’s in it for me? All you’d be doing is force me to spend time with my would-be assailant.” The girl seemed to ponder this for a second, biting her lip in a way that made Jade a little light headed.

Seriously, it should be illegal to look that fucking cute.

“Okay how about this, if I manage to make you want to come to the beach again, you have to come back next week to watch me in the surfing competition taking place here.” She said, puffing out her chest pride as she spoke. 

“I asked what’s in it for me, dunce.” Jade said, rolling her eyes.

“I was getting to that.” The girl pouted for a second before continuing, “If I fail I’ll drop out of the competition and never come to the beach ever again.” The mood shift was startling. Despite knowing her for less than 10 minutes Jade could tell that this girl was serious. 

“Why would you do that?” It baffled her how someone would just drop everything like this. Especially since this girl didn’t know her at all. 

The brunette just smiled softly before answering. “Because the beach is a really beautiful place, and I think it would be a really shame if you never got to see it because of something I did.”

Jade stared at the other girl for a while before shaking her head in exasperation.

I’m going to regret this

“Fine, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

The woman’s demeanor completely changed as she lit up with pure joy. Jade was sure if she stared at her smile any longer she’d go blind so she looked away. Her face felt suspiciously hot, but she chose to ignore that.

“I promise you won’t regret it. Meet me here at 2 tomorrow so i can plan out what to do.” The other woman said cheerily. 

“Will do, mystery woman.”

“Oh shit, I almost forgot.” The woman stuck her hand out for a handshake “My name is Tori, Tori Vega. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Jade stared at her hand for a second deciding whether or not she should shake it, before she gave in and grabbed the other girl’s hand. “Jade.” She gave the hand one resolute shake and then promptly dropped it. 

“Jade.” Tori said, as if trying to figure out how the name felt on her tongue. Jade has no idea what Tori concluded, but she knew she liked the way her name sounded from the other girls lips. “Okay then, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tori smiled hopefully as she finished talking.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” And with that the tanned beauty jogged off to the entrance of Mama Peet’s Surf n’ Turf, and Jade was left to find Cat who had wandered off while she was talking to Vega.

\------

So Jade was wrong. So far she wasn’t regretting this decision all that much.

Vega had walked around with her for a while, talking about random topics that just seemed to flow between them, she took Jade towards the shore and started a sandcastle competition (Jade obviously win on her own merit, definitely not because she collapsed one of Tori’s towers), they had gotten shaved ice (Tori insisted on paying for it even though it literally only cost $2), and they searched the ground for interesting sea shells (Jade blushed slightly, recalling how a very excited Tori bounced up to her with a pale green-blue shell and proudly proclaimed “Look at the pretty shell I found! It looks just like your eyes!”)

But that doesn’t mean she wanted to come back! She merely considered the idea of losing the bet, just so that Vega wouldn’t have to abandon this place that she obviously cherished. She only entertained that thought for a second, though, because she was pulled out of the comfortable silence that settled between them.

“Jade?” Tori called softly.

“What is it, Vega?” She answered, fake annoyance in her voice. She only hoped the girl knew it was fake, because there was no way she could be annoyed at the latina when the setting sun hit her in such a way that her skin seemed to adopt a soft golden glow.

“Do- do you maybe want…” Tori trailed off, mumbling the rest of her sentence. 

“Go on, use your big girl words. You can do it.” Jade teased, watching the girl send a glare her way, but the effects of the soft glare were nullified by the pout on her face.

Tori took a deep breath and faced Jade, nervousness radiated off of her body, but she continued on bravely “I was wondering if maybe you wanted to try something out with me. I mean I won’t do it unless you want me too, but I’ve been thinking about it all day and I think now is the perfect time.”

Jade’s breath hitched for a moment and her heart beat irregularly in her chest.

There’s no way she’s suggesting what I think she is. She wouldn’t- would she? No that’s crazy, you don’t even know if she’s into girls. But what if she is? What if this whole “don’t want you to miss out on the beach” thing was all an elaborate plan to get me to go on a date with her? HOLY SHIT WAS THIS A DATE?!?!

“Jade?” Tori called out again. She looked nervous and confused and Jade internally scolded herself for letting the expression grace the young woman’s face.

“Yeah, what did you have in mind?” The raven haired girl said breathlessly. Tori stepped up and grabbed one of Jade’s between her own. Deep caramel met blue-green and Jade felt her whole world start shaking. Panic shot through her, but not for any of the reasons she anticipated. She wanted this to happen. She wanted Tori to kiss her right now on the beach, while the waves crashed onto the shore and the sun bathed them in its gentle glow. She WANTED this.

However her heart plummeted to her stomach when, instead of the dreamily heavy make-out session on the beach she was hoping for, Tori opened her mouth and asked nervously: “Do you want to try out surfing with me?”

God damnit Jade, you got your hopes up for nothing. Of course she wasn’t going to kiss you, you bi disaster

“Why the hell would I want to do that?” Jade snapped, watching as the other girl flinched slightly at her tone. She knew it was unfair to Tori since it was Jade herself who caused the pain in her chest, but she needed something to lash out at and Vega was the closest thing available. 

“I-I just thought that maybe- I don’t know- you might want to see what it’s like...being out there on the water and all.” Tori muttered looking away from the pale girl before her. Another stab of guilt stabbed through Jade and before she could register what she was saying she found herself agreeing to get on the stupid board. Immediately she watched the brown haired beauty lighten up and rush to her red volkswagen beetle (Jade made a mental note to make fun of her later for it) to retrieve it. In a matter of moments Jade found herself immediately regretting her decision. It’s not that she’s scared of the water exactly, but she really really really didn’t like being in the open sea. 

To her credit, Vega was taking Jade’s snappy attitude pretty well. She guided Jade through the steps and swam beside the board to make sure Jade was doing okay. For a few fleeting moments Jade found herself enjoying the water. Its biting chill was no longer frozen jaws latched to her skin, now they offered cool relief from the burning sensation that encompassed her whole body as she felt Vega’s soft touch readjusting her position on the board. The huge expansive nothingness wasn’t terrifying, it offered isolation and a moment in time where only Jade and Tori existed together. It was calming. It was welcoming. Most importantly, Jade found she wanted to come back again. She wanted to come back and be with Tori again. 

A proud smile stretched across her face as she tackled a small wave successfully for the second time, Tori’s gleeful cheers echoing behind her. She turned to look at Vega’s cheerful expression when she saw her face drop into something resembling abject horror.

“Jade!” Tori screamed, “Dive!”

Turning back to the front of her board Jade saw a massive wall of water rushing towards her. She attempted to dive, as Tori had said, but the water slammed into her body before she could even get her feet off the slick surface she was on. 

The world around her shifted and morphed as the water rushed around her. The salt stung at her eyes, but it didn’t matter much as she made her way to the surface of the water. She had only made it a couple feet up from the small plateau she had landed on when she felt her leg get caught. She looked through the murky water to her ankle. The tether that had kept her bound to her board had snapped and gotten caught on a piece of coral. She tugged at the fabric around her leg, but it wouldn’t budge. She tried undoing it on her ankle but her hands couldn’t get a good grip on it while the waves pushed her back into the ground. She struggled as hard as she could, but she just couldn’t get herself free.

God this is it, isn’t it? This is how I die? Chained to the bottom of the ocean floor, my chest burning, my body aching, and no one knows I’m here but Tori. Tori… is she okay? Did she get hit by the wave too? Is she looking for me right now? Probably not... she probably just thinks I washed up to shore and left. Why would she bother looking for me anyway? I’ve been nothing but snappy and rude to her all day. 

Her mind buzzed and her vision started to fade, but as she reflected on everything that had happened that day, she realized she didn’t regret it one bit. She had one of the best times of her life, and if she could come back and do it all again, she would.

I just hope that Tori is okay

And the world faded away.


	2. All my friends are turning green

When Jade came too all she could recognize was an uncomfortable stiffness in her body. Her back ached, and her knees felt rickety. As soon as she opened her eyes a bright light assaulted her retinas, drawing attention to the splitting headache she somehow hadn't noticed before. 

After a couple minutes of careful deliberation, Jade figured she might as well get up now since she won't be able to go back to sleep for a while. She sat up causing pristine white sheets to shift and crease. She surveyed the room carefully.

The room was completely white except for a small plant by the window. She was on a hospital bed, which explains the ache in her back. What she couldn't figure out was why she was in the hospital. That is, until she looked down at the sleeping figure of Tori, whose head rested lightly on her thigh while her hand was clasped tightly in Jade's own.

A light blush rose to her face, but it didn't matter because Tori was safe. She's alive and well and  _ holding her hand. _

_ Oh god, I should probably let go of her hand before she wakes up and this gets awkward. But why would she hold my hand in the first place? Whatever I'll just carefully- _

As Jade attempted to carefully extract her hand from Tori's tight grip, the latina's eyes fluttered open and caught onto hers. Caramel eyes widened comically, and Jade would've poked fun at the girl for getting so excited, but she couldn't get any words out before Tori promptly dropped her hand in favor of wrapping her in the tightest hug that she's ever received. That's truly saying something because Cat was basically her best friend, and the redhead was surprisingly strong in this aspect. 

The heat across the raven haired girl intensified when she heard Tori's melodious voice speak into her ear, "God, Jade. I was so worried. I-I thought you weren't going to make it. You were so cold when I got you out and you've been out for 6 hours and I just- fuck I'm so so sorry. I shouldn't ha-" Tori's rambled until Jade placed her hand on the other girl's mouth to shut her up. The latina settled on the edge of the bed and the two stared at each other for a second in heavy silence before Jade broke it.

"Listen, none of that was your fault okay. You don't control the waves. You didn't foresee any of that happening."

"But I'm the one who put you on the board!" Tori protested.

"Quiet, Vega! I'm not done. Yes you put me on the board, but you also gave me the choice not to get on there. You stuck by my side as you taught me. You warned me about the wave before it crashed into me. And you were the one to save me when I was stuck at the bottom of the ocean. So stop blaming yourself, okay? You. Did. Nothing. Wrong." Jade poked her repeatedly towards the end to drive her point across. Vega squirmed a little, a light smile crossing her features before settling into something more somber. 

Laying her head on Jade's shoulder her arms wrapped lazily around the hospitalized girl's waist. "I'm still sorry you had to go through that." She murmured.

"It's fine." Jade yawned, reciprocating the hug and essentially pulling Tori on top of her while she drifted off. Jade had no idea how long she was out, but the warmth of Tori's body in stark contrast to the frigid atmosphere around them coaxed her into a deep sleep that she doubted even professionally grade sleeping pills could rival. When she finally opened her eyes the latina was still asleep nuzzled below her chin. A soft small graced Jade's face as she tucked a tuft hair behind the other girl's ear.

"You're really brave y'know." Jade sighed, "I don't know why you would do that for someone you barely even know. You could have gotten hurt or worse but you still dived in to get me.

I guess that's just your style though. You're way too considerate for your own good." The raven haired girl's head fell back against the stiff hospital pillow and closed her eyes, relaxing at the feeling of Tori's steady breaths against her neck (though that had some unforeseen side effects.) 

"I'm really not though." Jade's eyes shot open immediately at the other girl. Tori's eyes were still closed but since Jade's pretty sure she's not crazy (at least not in a hearing voices kind of way) she knew the latina wasn't truly asleep. Before she got the chance to snap out whatever reply her frazzled mind had come up with, Tori started talking again. "I'm not brave at all, Jade. I'm a coward. I was so god damn scared I almost could move. I was so scared that I might have killed you that I had to act. I was terrified. That's not all that heroic, but it's the truth."

Jade listened to the other girl, absentmindedly running her hand through long, silky brown locks. She let her hand dip down and cup Tori's jaw, so that she could look the other girl in the eyes. The surfer leaned into the touch, and when Jade met her eyes they shone with unshed tears.

"You're wrong, it was heroic. You pushed past your fear and you saved me from the depths of the ocean." Jade said as softly as she could. "Whether or not you were scared is irrelevant, because you were brave enough to do the right thing."

Silence enveloped the room as they digested everything that was just said. Tori was the first to react, stealing a deep breath before surging forward and capturing Jade's lips in her own. Jade's heart hammered sporadically in her chest.

During her moment of gay panic she had completely forgot to react to Tori kissing her. The other girl looked at her apologetically and went to apologize, but no words even made their way out of her mouth before Jaden was kissing her back with as much passion as she could. Tori was a lot quicker in reciprocating the kiss, her hands tightened around Jade's middle as their lips moved together in tandem. Jade ran her hand through Tori's hair and pulled her in closer.

At this point Tori was completely on top of her and she had no problems with it whatsoever. Tori broke the kiss, and Jade immediately missed the contact, but she didn't have to wait very long as the brown eyed girl began to kiss along her neck. A quiet moan escaped the raven haired girl without her consent. Her body was betraying her as it writhed underneath Tori's body, desperately searching for some kind of contact that she wasn't getting. Tori's hands explored her body, and she was sure she was going to explode from how hot her body felt. Just as her hands grazed her stomach, the door to the room opened and a nurse walked in.

All three women stood wide eyed in shock, none of them attempting to move at all as the awkwardness of the situation settled over them. The nurse was the first to recover, clearing her throat and looking away from the pair. "I just wanted to check and see if you were awake but I see you're just fine. You should be cleared to leave in the morning after the doctor runs a couple more tests." 

"Uh okay, thank you." Jade muttered as the nurse turned on her heel and left the run as quickly as possible. The door shut and the girls were now left in the dark reflecting over what just happened. Tori burst out laughing, half falling on Jade's shell shocked body. Jade took a couple more seconds to compose herself but chuckled alongside Tori soon after. 

"Maybe we should just go to bed." Tori suggested. She lifted herself off of the raven haired girl and went to get off the bed when she felt slim fingers wrap around her wrist.

"Stay." Jade pleaded. She wasn't begging though. The hospital room is just cold and she didn't want to lose Tori's warmth.

Tori smiled gently down at her and soon found herself curled against Jade's side. Jade turned to face the girl, her arm draped lazily over Tori's waist.

"G'night Jade." Tori mummered sleepily. 

"Good night, Tori."

\----------

  


The next day the two parted ways after exchanging phone numbers, and Jade spent the next couple of the days texting the surfer in peace. At least until a certain redhead came over and began bombarding her questions.

"What do you mean you almost drowned?!" Cat shrieked. 

"I mean just that. One second I'm on a surfboard, then next I'm tied to the bottom of the sea floor." Jade shrugged. 

"Jade!" Cat groaned, "Why were you on a surfboard in the first place?! You hate the ocean!"

"You remember that girl that hit me in the face with her board the other day?" Cat nodded. "Well we made a bet and I ended up on a surfboard. I'm still not sure who won the bet though." Jade stated, leaving out as many details as possible. Cat is an unpredictable enigma and she wasn't going to risk stepping into a "brother story."

Cat sighed tiredly, "Just don't die on me, okay. We both know I will not be able to handle your death."

"Yeah, maybe you'll burn down my house with scented candles." Jade chuckled. 

"THAT WAS ONE TIME!" Cat bemoaned.

"I'd be more concerned if you made burning old ladies' houses a pastime. That's more my thing, babygirl." Jade teased. She could tell Cat was less upset than before, which was good because a sad Cat is not what she wanted to deal with today.

Just then her phone buzzed loudly in her pocket, drawing the girls attention. The older girl grabbed her phone and read the text displayed on the front. A small smile made its way onto her face as she replied, but before she could hit send the phone was snatched from her hands. 

"Hey!" Jade exclaimed, "What'd you do that for?" 

"I wanted to see who was making you smile like that." Cat said nonchalantly.

"What if it was something creepy or disgusting? Like a chicken running around without a head?" Cat shuddered slightly at the thought before looking up from the phone in her hands.

"Nah, that was a sweet smile. Not a 'I just said something disturbing and I'm gonna send it to you at 3AM' smile." Jade stared at her perplexed for a second but just let the girl continue to look through her messages with a certain sunkissed surfer. It's not like she had anything to hide. 

"What happened between you two at the hospital?" Cat asked innocently. Okay so maybe she has something to hide.

"Nothing." Jade said as nonchalantly as she could. She really hoped the years of acting paid off because she really didn't want to explain to Cat that she had made out with Tori in a hospital after nearly drowning. 

Luckily Cat has never been one that requires much convincing, as she chirped "kay kay!" and gave the phone back to the goth. The conversation soon stopped and the two sat on Jade's couch in comfortable silence as they watched TV. Halfway through the episode Jade's phone buzzed again.

**Vega:** Hey, you ready to see me kick some ass at the beach tomorrow. 

  


**Jade:** Did you mean: get your ass kicked by the ocean?

  


**Jade:** Because in that case, yes

  


**Vega:** Why are you so meeeeeeeean 😭

  


**Jade:** What can I say, making you sad is one of my favorite pastimes

  


**Vega: 😭😭😭😭😭😭**

  


Jade rolled her eyes at the other girl's theatrics. 

  


**Jade:** If I say I'm ready to see you kick some surfer ass, will you stop sending that stupid emoji?

  


**Vega:** Will you? 🥺

  


**Jade:** Fiiiiiiine 

  


**Jade:** Yes Vega, I'm ready to see you kick some ass at the competition tomorrow.

  


**Vega:** YES!!

  


**Vega:** Thank you, I needed that.

  


**Jade:** Dork

  


"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Cat exclaims next to her. 

"What?" Jade asks, turning to look at the petite redhead. 

"That smile. I've never seen you smile like that. Or at least not unless you've caused someone some sort of physical pain." Cat poked her cheek. Jade realized that the other girl wasn't lying at all. A smile had wormed its way onto the normally stoic girls face without her permission. She tried in vain to wipe it off but it seemed to get stuck there.

Since she couldn't get rid of the smile she had to move on to plan B. She grabbed one of the black pillows on the couch and wacked Cat upside the head with it. "Be quiet and go to bed already. It's already one in the morning."

Cat giggled, "Okay, bossy."

"Don't call me bossy!" Jade snapped back. Cat just laughed off the outburst and Jade made her way over to the light switch.

Just as she turned it off she heard Cat speak up from her couch. "I hope she really makes you happy, Jade. You deserve that much."

"She does." Jade says after a beat of silence. With that she made her way to her bedroom to dream of the latina in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA! And you thought I had abandoned this fic? Jokes on you, I'm just slow as hell!
> 
> And since I'm slow as fuck, I've made the executive decision to give you guys another chapter so you don't die from lack of gay surfers.
> 
> So here's some bite sized gay to (rip)tide you over while we're in this Jori drought. 
> 
> Also format change because texting.


	3. She's been living on the highest shelf

"If someone doesn't turn the fucking sun off in the next 5 minutes, this whole world is going to Feel. My. Wrath." Jade seethed as she made her way out of the car towards the beach. Despite the shades on her face, the sun still seemed to pierce through the dyed plastic and assault her very being. This is exactly why she hated being outdoors. However right now her annoyance could take a back seat, because right now Jade had a goal in mind. Well more like a check-list really.

Goal number 1: Look hot as fuck. Now she didn't have to try very hard with this one. Jade was very aware of the...assets that she possessed. So she did her best to accentuate them. She opted for a simple crimson red bikini. Much more color than she usually wore, but the way the red stood out against her ghostly pale skin was breathtaking and she knew it. The top was tied at the back and had a deep v that showed just enough skin to be seductive but not enough to be inappropriate, and the bottom was tied to the side. The only thing that worried her was the top. She had bought this a while ago and she wasn't completely sure the two knots that held the piece together would hold up. 

_ Maybe that would work towards my goals tho _

Jade shook that thought out of her head and continued forward. As she stepped onto the sand, she realized for the first time that surfing competitions were an actual thing people were into. There were hundreds of people crowded on the burning white sand. There was a booth with speakers that the ravenette could only assume belonged to the announcers, and lined up in front of it were two long lines of surfers all bustling to sign up. On top of the booth were two huge screens with a timer displayed on both.

As she walked forward, she spotted a familiar cherry blossom surfboard and a head of brown hair hidden just behind it talking to another surfer in line.

Goal number 2: Be supportive. Jade won't lie and say that she knew what the hell was going on at any given moment when it came to surfing, but she was here to show Tori she cared enough to at least  _ try  _ to understand her interests.

As if the woman heard her thoughts, she turned from her conversation. Their eyes met, and Tori's eyes widened in excitement. 

"Jade! Over here!" She waved as she beckoned the pale girl over. Jade rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop a content smile from reaching her lips.

Which reminded her of her third and final goal: Gather enough courage to officially ask Tori to be her girlfriend. She wasn't exactly sure how she'd do it, but she is determined not to screw it up. There was an undeniable pull that drew her to the latina and wouldn't give that up for anything.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Tori said, pulling Jade into a warm hug the second she was within reach. Jade flushed slightly at all the skin to skin contact, but brushed it off as she hugged the taller girl back.

"Ah, so you're the infamous Jade I've heard so much about." Said the surfer Tori had been speaking to earlier. He was a tall man with dark brown skin and braided hair. He had a playful smile as he watched the scene unfold. 

"And you are the random stranger I've heard nothing about." Jade quipped, raising an eyebrow as she looked him up and down.

"Then it's time for introductions!" Tori clapped, gaining their attention. "Jade, this is Andre Harris, my best friend and destroyer of family pot pie."

"That was one time dude!" Andre interjected. 

Tori continued on, "Andre, this is Jade West, the girl that can rock both sexy red bikinis  _ and  _ hospital gowns." She said with a wink, clearly enjoying the way Jade's cheeks turned as red as her bikini at the comment.

_ Goal 1: complete  _

They talked until they made it to the announcer's booth. Jade found that, even though she didn't like people as a general rule, Andre was a pretty cool guy. He had a laid back vibe that she really appreciated, especially when she was so used to Cat's level of energy. After briefly talking to the announcers about how the tournament was going to be set up, Tori and Andre quickly signed up and were given a sticker to put on the bottom of their boards with their respective numbers. 

As more surfers showed up the more lost Jade became in the conversation, and the more questions she ended up asking. Jade tried her best to understand what was going on but all she could understand from the surfer lingo was that "wipeout" equals bad, and "tombstoning" also equals bad, but "drop in" equals good, and "duck diving" is just confusing. It was still a point towards her second goal, and she could tell Tori was pleased that she was at least taking an interest. 

After a couple hours the competition finally commenced. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at Tori and Andre didn't need to worry too much about going first as their numbers were both 68 and 70 respectively. Jade remembers the way Andre grumbled about not being able to slap a giant number 69 to the bottom of his board and how "humor was dead." 

The good thing about them going later is it gave Tori the opportunity to tell Jade about the plays as they were taking place. 

"So you see how unstable that turn was right there? That's going to cost him some points. You really just wanna gain as much momentum as you can and use your body as a counterbalance, the key there is…" Tori continued to explain, but Jade was struggling to pick up what she was saying as the sunlight caught her hair just right and all she could see were big brown doe eyes and a fiery halo of chestnut hair.

"You didn't understand a word I said, did you?" Tori said, smirking from her seat beside Jade on the towel.

"Of course I did. You were telling me about the key to building momentum and turning." Jade kept her tone light, but she was very much panicking. 

_ Goal 2 is in danger! I repeat, goal 2 is in danger!  _

"And what, pray tell, is the key?" The tanned girl knew she had Jade right where she wanted her, but the teal eyed woman would be damned before she let herself back down.

"Balance." They stared each other down before Tori cracked a small smile at her. 

"The answer was footwork, but I appreciate the attempt. I'm probably boring you with all the shop talk." Alarms were blaring and Jade knew she had to do something quick or goal 2 would be officially a failure. Properly thrown off balance, Jade went with the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm sorry." Well, that wasn't exactly what she was hoping for, but she just went with it. "I didn't mean to zone out like that, because I honestly was trying to understand what you were teaching me. It's just that whenever you talk about surfing, your whole face lights up, and I got so caught up in thinking about how beautiful you looked when you're talking about your passions that I kinda forgot to listen to what you were saying." As she rambled on the pale girl slowly became a darker shade of red until she essentially resembled a freshly cooked lobster. To her credit though, Tori was sporting the same blush. 

The surfer reached out and laced Jade's and her fingers together "Well, you look beautiful today too." Tori said with a genuine smile that sent Jade's heart into a frenzy.

"Oh yeah? It's not just the 'sexy red bikini' influencing this opinion?" She teased.

The latina chuckled, "Nope. The only thing influencing that opinion is you. Although," Tori looked her up and down before leaning in to whisper into her ear, "the bikini was a nice treat." 

Before Jade got the opportunity to respond, Andre bounded up to them. "Yo Tor, our numbers are going up next. You ready for this?" 

"Hell yeah, let's go destroy some waves!" Not a second after that was said, the speakers sounded and the announcers' voices filled the air.

"A good performance from Daniels and Shapiro. After some heavy deliberation from the judges, Daniels will be moving forward to the next round." The crowd erupted in cheers for the winner of the round. A disgruntled, gangly, pale boy with glasses half walked half stomped away while a slightly shorter, tan man walked behind him heckling him.

"I told you this was gonna happen, the only thing that's weaker than your chicken arms is your surf game." He laughed. 

"Shut up, Rex! I'm not that weak." The gangly boy grumbled as they walked away. Jade, temporarily distracted, didn't notice Tori moving steadily closer until a warm hand took hold of her own.

"I gotta go now, but I shall return victorious!" She exclaimed proudly, holding herself in the same way a knight would before heading off to battle. The thought alone made Jade stifle a chuckle. 

She gently nudged the bronze skinned woman's shoulder. "You're such a dork." She said, feigning annoyance. 

Tori just smirked, "You know you like it though."

"No." She deadpanned 

"Yes, you do." Tori retaliated, a defiant glint in her eye.

Jade matched it with a glare of her own. "No, I don't." 

"Ye-" the rest of the sentence was cut off by Jade pressing her lips against the annoying surfer. It only lasted a second, but Jade already felt lightheaded. 

"Just shut up, Vega." Jade whispered after they separated. Tori just stood nodding dumbly for a second before the announcers called the match in 2 minutes, bringing both of them back down to earth. 

"I gotta get going." Tori said breathlessly, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Yeah." Replied Jade. Tori moved to leave, but Jade wasn't quite satisfied with this being the end of their interaction, so she did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed Tori's wrist and pulled the girl back to her, cupping her face gently, and leaning forward. Their noses barely grazed each other when the ravenette whispered "This one is for luck." and closed the gap. 

Unlike the one seconds prior this kiss was soft and gentle and warm where the first was rough and demanding. It felt lighter somehow, like her entire being was brighter just for basking in Tori's light. She wished she really could stay in this moment with her, but the surfer had a job to do and Jade wasn't about to get in the way of that.

"Go kick some surfer ass." Tori's grin doubled in size and she ran off to join Andre by the shore, who had seen the whole thing if the shit eating grin on his face was any indication.


	4. And they come undone

**[Tori pov]**

Still reeling from the kiss, Tori sprinted towards the coastline, towards Andre. 

"You sure you're good to surf after macking on your chick like that?" Andre teased.

Tori flushed "Shut up. Who am I up against?"

"Some dude named Tanner." Andre pointed at the man across from her. He was tall with short brown hair and bronze skin. He looked confident, a bit too confident if the cocky smirk was any indication. Tori was sure she could wipe the floor with him, but it's still best to air on the side of caution, so she mentally took inventory of the man's build, board, and posture. 

"Yeah, I got this." She said back to Andre. He smiled at her and with one clap on her shoulder he was gone. 

"You're going down little lady. Don't you know women can't surf? It's a man's sport." She heard her competitor speak up.

_ Of course he's sexist. With a name like "Tanner" how could he not be an asshole _

Tori didn't even dignify his obvious attempt to rile her up with a response. She kept her eyes focused on the surf, the waves were a bit choppy today, so the best bet was to go in hot and then proceed with caution.

_ Flashy moves aren't gonna get me anywhere today. _

Tanner was still trying to get her attention when the announcers started the countdown. As they got to 1, the bell rang out, and Tori took off sprinting towards the ocean. 

The water was freezing, but it's chill was a familiar feeling to the brown eyed latina. She pushed forwards, getting onto her board and paddling out to the first wave she could see. It was a small wave, but it was enough to give her a little momentum to get to the next one without paddling. So she stood against her steady board and rode the wave in a quick serpentine motion. She could hear the announcers from the shore, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. She didn't have time to figure it out either because a bigger wave was coming up on her and she needed to act fast.

Quickly, she pulled her board into a tight turn, riding the wall of the wave until she could steadily pull on top. Just as she got to the top of the wave, Tanner sped up towards the edge. He practically flew off the wave, grabbing the bottom of his board before falling back down onto the flat.

_ Of course he'd be trying to get some air. Well, if it's extra he wants, it's extra he'll get. _

Not to be outdone, Tori quickly dips into a bottom turn and up into a floater, riding the edge of the wave perfectly until it peters out and she's forced to cut back to catch the next wave in time. She knows that move won't get her too many points, but right now she doesn't have that many options. Again it looks like Tanner is going to try for another aerial trick, so before he can reach the lip of the wave, Tori got on the wall and rode up effectively cutting him off before launching her board upwards and catching the sides with her hands. 

"Some superman action should be enough to shut 'em up." She mumbled to herself as she angled herself back towards the beach, landing smoothly onto the flat. As she dipped into another bottom turn, she could see Tanner's face morph into something akin to pure hatred as he tried and failed to pull off a kickflip. 

Her attention was pulled back to the matter at hand as the waves got more aggressive. She's probably a couple points ahead by now, but she needs to cement that lead before the time runs out. A quick glance at the timer on the announcers booth showed she had barely a minute left before the match was over.

Tanner was getting increasingly pissed off, evidenced by the almost erratic cut backs he was carving on the wave in an effort to make up for the lost points on the kickflip. Despite the fact it was a very basic move, the small amount of points he's wracking up would quickly catch up to Tori if she didn't do anything about it. So instead of taking him head on, she decided a couple small moves of her own would be enough to keep his rising score at bay. 

She'd been halfway dropping into a wave when they both saw it. A wave at least 6 or 7 feet tall. They glanced at each other briefly, the same thought entering their heads before they both rushed for it. The lip had already begun to curl when Tori arrived at the wall, Tanner hot on her tail. The water was starting to cascade around them, a beautiful turquoise tunnel filled the latinas view and she realized that she'd always love this color. Especially when it reminded her so much of the rich ocean eyes that belonged to a certain ravenette who was currently watching her from the safety shore.

_ Oh shit, Jade is watching! The whole reason I wanted her here was to impress her and I've been playing it safe this whole time!!  _

The young Vega panicked momentarily as she tried to figure out her next move. The end of the tunnel was quickly drawing up on her, so in a split second decision, Tori pulls into a sharp cut back, riding on the front face of the wave heading back the direction she just came. The lip of the wave crashing into the flat causes foam to lick at the latinas feet, but it doesn't deter her. She heads towards the steepest part of the wave, pulls into a deep bottom turn before launching herself up the side of the wave. For a split second she feels weightless, like absolutely nothing can touch her, but as she feels gravity pull her back down she grabs ahold of the railings of the board, both behind her and in front and spins midair only to land back on the wall of the wave. 

She can hear the cheers from the shore and can't tell if it's for her or Tanner, as she can't see him at the moment. It doesn't matter, she supposes, as the bell rings out and the announcers call them back. 

Tori can still feel the adrenaline pounding away at her chest. The nervousness of the results weighs heavily on her as she paddles back to the booth. To her left she can spot Tanner doing the same, complete with his signature cocky grin. The saddle up beside each other and Tanner starts his taunts once again.

"You're gonna see now, girlie, that the waves are no place for someone like you." He sneers.

"And I was sure that shit wasn't supposed to be in the water either, but here you are." She shot back. He gaped at her, trying to come up with someone, but they'd already made it to the shallows before he could, so she counted that as a win. 

The latina got off her board, walking up to the booth and stood in front of the announcers and judges. Her legs felt a little like jelly, and the feeling was only amplified when she spotted Jade standing next to Andre a couple feet away. She smiled and waved, and the teal eyed woman smiled back. A warm fluttering feeling bloomed in her chest, and she couldn't stop the wide grin that took hold of her face.

The girl was brought back to reality as the announcer's mic clicked on. "What a jaw dropping performance by Vega and Lee! That was some great surfing out there guys, you really had the crowd on edge. Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for, after some serious deliberation and heavy debates by our esteemed judges, the winner of this match is…" the announcer hit a button that started a drum roll effect to sound through the speakers, "Tanner Lee with a total of 29 points! Vega wasn't too far behind with a total of 26 points. Let's give them a big round of applause!" The crowd cheered and clapped, but the defeat had come so completely out of left field that Tori didn't exactly know what to do with herself. She wasn't expecting to lose, but she also didn't keep a close I on the other surfer. Maybe she underestimated him. Maybe she herself was just too clumsy. Or maybe she was too safe. Either way, what's done is done and all she can do is accept the defeat graciously. 

"Tanner as the winner of this round is there anything you'd like to say." The blonde bearded announcer passed Tanner the mic.

"As the champ of this round and probably this whole competition I just want to say: Suck it Vega! I told you girls can't surf!" His voice erupted from the speakers, and a dead silence encompassed the beach.

"Dude, seriously?" The announcer asked incredulously. 

"It's common knowledge, man. Surfing is a man's sport, women have no business trying to get in on this." He said with arrogant confidence. 

"You are aware that half of the judges are female, correct? That most of them have countless wins in this sport?" 

"Psh I just thought we had them in there for eye candy." He said, waving off the announcer, who clearly looked uncomfortable. The judges waved the announcer over and after a very short whispered conversation, the blonde man took the mic back and spoke.

"After reviewing the guidelines and agreements you signed before the competition, the judges find you Tanner Lee, guilty of breaking the rules against unsportsmanlike conduct, and thus you have been disqualified from the competition." The announcer said in the most serious voice he's used all day. Tanner spluttered and attempted to argue back but two other surfers grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away from the booth, obviously friends of his by the way they were apologizing to the judges. 

"Due to Lee's disqualification, Tori Vega is the winner of this match! Can I have a round of applause for our winner please!" The crowd cheered again but it didn't feel right. The win felt hollow. She didn't really win, she only passed due to the fact that Tanner was a dick.

"Tori." The surfer heard off to her side. Jade had walked over during the exchange and now stood next to her with a worried expression. "Are you okay?" 

Tori contemplated lying to her and just acting as cheery as she normally was, but she didn't feel like it. "No. I feel like I don't really deserve this win. I would've lost. I should've lost!" Now fully facing the other woman. 

She honestly wasn't sure how Jade would react, but she wasn't expecting to be brought into a tight hug. She's known this girl for a short amount of time, but she _knows_ Jade isn't big on touching or PDA. The fact she got not one but _two_ kisses is a miracle. 

"Don't go saying that. You deserve the win. He barely won in the first place. The only reason they docked your points was because of the way you cut him off earlier. They thought it was a dangerous maneuver that could've gotten you hurt." Jade said, soothing and twirling Tori's soaked hair.

"But I-" Tori was once again cut off by the other girl.

_ She does that a lot. _ Tori thought to herself.

"No. We're not going down this road again. You deserve this. You did great, and you're still my hot badass surfer girlfriend. I'm proud of you, okay?" Jade said cupping Tori's face between her palms, making the tan girl nod her head before letting her go.

Tori cleared her throat, "So," she drew out, her face flushing as she looked intently at Jade, "girlfriend?" It was only then when the reality of Jade's words seemed to hit the red clad girl. A furious blush settled on her face.

"I- I mean uh I didn't actually mean to say that like that. I was actually hoping to ask you like a normal person but you just- you look so sad and I kinda blurted this out and I should really stop talking before I make this worse." Jade rambled, which was adorable in all honesty, seeing as she only did that when she was really nervous.

"Hey, it's okay. I was just caught off guard is all." Tori smiled gently.

"So does that- is that a yes?" She stuttered.

"A yes to what?" Tori asked, even though she already knew what the question was.

Jade took a deep breath, "Tori Vega, will you be my girlfriend?" Jade's heart thundered in her chest and Tori's responded in kind. Suddenly, Tori surged forward, capturing Jade in a kiss that left her head spinning. It was less a kiss and more an outpour of emotions. Everything they wanted to say, but were too emotionally inept to put into words.

As they pulled away, Tori leaned her forehead against Jade's "Of course I will." Jade just nodded, a wide grin on her face. 

_ "Goal 3: complete"  _ Jade thought.

"What?" Tori asked

"Nothing!" Jade yelped. "Let's go get some food, you have to be starving by now."

Tori chuckled heartily, "I could eat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this?! A double update at the end of the story because I took forever updating it?! Pssssssh whaaaaaaat? Nooo not at all.
> 
> But seriously guys, I'm sorry about the late end to this. I appreciate all the support and comments you guys left me, it really helped me with motivation (even though it doesn't seem like it lmao) anyway, for now this is it for the surf AU, I might continue it later down the line, but I don't really see a lot more happening in this universe. Especially considering this was supposed to be a one shot.
> 
> If you wanna read some more dumb shit from me, I'm currently working on some other Jori content. (I just hope that you stick to the newer content on my page, because man did old me love long winded paragraphs)
> 
> Anyway, love you all. Thank you for making this possible. 
> 
> With that said, this is Monty signing off.


End file.
